Stone ornamentation and process of producing the same



April 30, 1929. E ,1 CHASE 1,711,043

STONE ORNAMEN'I'ATION AND PROCESS OF PRODU'CING THE SAME Filed Got. 19A,1192.6 2 Sheets-Sheet f Kaff' I 1 XWWYM April 30, 1929. E. A. CHASE1,711,043

STONE oRNAMEm-ATION'AND PROCESS oF PRODUGING THS sm:

Filed Oct. 19, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jimi-la7? In' or) Patented Apr. 30,1929.

y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELROY A. CHASE, OF NORTHFIELD, VERMONT.

Application filed Gctober 19, 1926. Serial No. 142,729.

This invention relates to a new forinof stone ornamentation and to animproved process for producing such improved ornamentation.

It is customary to produce ornamental surface effects on granite andother' similar stone by sinking the background with a sand blast,leaving the ornamental design on the original prepared surface of thestone. This simple process is not entirely satisfactory, as thebackground thus produced has a smooth unbroken surface and lackscharacter and contrast.

A considerable improvement has been heretofore achieved by providing awire screen in the path of the sand blast when cutting the background,whereby a conventional design appears as slightly raised lines or ribson the surface of the background. Such a background, while affordingmore contrast, is limited in its application, as only a very few designscan be commercially produced by this method and these fixed designs arenot always well adapted to the reqnirements of a particular surfacedesign.

It the general object of my invention to provide stone ornamentationhaving a distinctive background which may be easily and economicallyproduced, which will be more licxible in its application,than the screenbackground previously used, and which may be easily adapted or modifiedto suit specific surface design requirements.

My invent-ion further relates to an im proved .method by which myimproved background may be easily and economically produced.

A preferred disclosure of my invent-ion is shown in the drawings,together with certain additional figures showing the adaptation of myinvention to several different designs.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view of a portion of a block of granite or similarstone, showing the first step in the production of my novelornamentation g Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, taken along the line 22 in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2but showing the result after the sandblast has been once applied thereto;

Fig. 4 is a partial plan view illustrating the next step in theprocess;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation, taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 butshowing the result attained by a second application of the sand blast;

Fig. 6 is a partial plan view of a linished ornamentation; and i Figs 7to l1 inclusive are detailed plan views illustrating differentbackground designs which may be produced by my new method. i

.Referring particularly to Figs. l to 6, I will nowdescribe my improvedornamentation and the method by which it is prefer` ably produced. Ablock 20 `of granite or` other stone is first provided with a smooth orfinished surface and is then coated with a layer 2l of a specialgelatinous or glue-like substance, adapted to` resist the sand blast andto protect t-he portionsof the stone covered thereby.` l

The desired ornamental design 22 is formed in the coating 21 by removingportions of the coating, thus outlining theA dcsign in the gelatinouscoating. mInstcad, however, of entirely removing the coating from theportions of the stone intended. to form the background, as has been theprevious practice, I merely remove narrow strips of the coating, thusproducing a background i formed of `parallel `bars 23 separated byrelatively narrow slots or grooves in `the coating.

Having thus prepared the surface as indicated in Figs. l and 2, I directthe sand blast against the surface in the usual manner', cnt-ting awayall unprotected portions of the stone to an intermediate depth, asindicated in Fig. 3 and forming lines or grooves 24. The lines 24 thusproduced in the stone have sharp edges and are very clearly defined.

I then remove the gelatinous coating from the bars 23 forming thebackground. but

`leave the coating over the 'design 22, as

shown in Fig. 4. The `sand blast is then again directed against thestone, sinking the previously formed grooves 24 to a great er depth, andat the same time cutting down the now cxposedbars 23 at a rapid rate.After the second application of the sand` blast, the stone hastheappearance indicated in section in Fig. 5 and in plan view in Fig. 6.Fig. 6 also shows the coating removed from the design 22 and from theboia` der portions 25, so that the finished effect is disclosed.

Comparison of Fig. Il with Fig. G will show that the deepening of thebackground, after the coating 2l is removed from the bars 23, tends todestroy the sharp cleancut outlines of the grooves 24, as the sand Willfollow to a greater or less extent the crystalline formation of thestone. In this Way I break up the stiff symmetrical outline of thedesign as it appears in Fig. l and produce the much more pleasing effectshown in Fig. 6 in which the background, While provided with a markedlycontrasting surface, is nevertheless more or less irregular and avoidsthe conventionality of the designs previously produced.

Having described the method by which my improved background is produced,it will be evident that the design of the background depends entirelyupon the particular selection of the portions of the coating over thebackground' to be removed, and that by varying the form of the openingsin the coating, the effect ot' the finished background may be similarlyvaried.

In Figs. 7 to l1, I have illustrated different background effects, allof which may be produced by my in'iproved method by simply varying thedesign which is cut into the coating over the background. In Fig. 7, thebars are indicated as extending obliquely and as being broken up intolong and short portions. uIn Fig. 8, the remaining portions areapproximately circular in outline. In Fig. 9, small square projectionsare provided. In Fig. 10, the slots separating the bars are Wave-likeinstead of straight. In Fig. ll, a eonventionalized ieur-de-lis appearson the background.

It will be understood that the possible variations in background Whichmay be produced by this method are almost Without limit. It Will also benoted that the application of the background to a particular surfacedesign may be varied in different parts of the design and that manynovel and beautiful effects may thus be produced.

The term sand blast is used broadly to indicate a forceful delivery ofsand or other granular cutting material by a stream of air, steam orgas.

Haviiig thus described my invention and the advantages thereof I do notWish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as setforth in the claims, but what I claim is 1. The process of ornamentinggranite and similar stone which consists in providing a sand-resisting,gelatinous coating for a surface of the stone, removing portions of saidcoating to outline a surface design and a background design,sand-blasting the stone to less than the desired finished depth of cut,removing the coating from additional portions of the background, andthereafter sand-blasting the stone a second time to finished depth.

2. The process of ornanienting granite and similar' stone which consistsin providing a sand-resisting, gelatinous coating for a surface of thestone, removing portions of said coating to outline a surface design anda background design, sand-blasting the surface design to its entiredepth while thus protected, and sand-blasting the background to partialdepth While protected and thereafter to finished depth after removal ofthe protecting coating therefrom.

3. The process of providing a diversified background on a stone surfacewhich consists in protecting the surface thereof with a gelatinouscoating, cutting awbackground design therein, sand-blasting the stone tocut the background design to partial depth, removing' additionalportions of said coating, and again sand-blasting the background lofinished depth.

4. The process of providing a. diversified background'on a stone surfacewhich consists in proecting the surface thereof with a gelatiuouscoating, cutting a background design therein, sand-blasting the stone tocut the background design to partial depth, removing the remainingcoating from said background design, and thereafter sand-blasting allportions of the background to greater depth.

5. The process of providing a diversified background on a granitesurface which consists in cutting a predetermined design in the portionforming the backgrouiul, and thereafter sand-blasting the background andthe design cut therein to greater depth by directing a sand blastagainst all parts of the background.

6. An ornamentation for a granite block comprising a finished surfacehaving a surface design sharply sand-blasted therein and having a sunkenbackground with a predetermined background design sand-blasted thereinbut said background design having its outlines irregularly modified andsubstantially following the crystalline grain of the granite.

T. An ornamentation for a granite block comprising a .finished surfacehaving a surface design sharply sand blasted therein, and having asunken luickground with u predetermined bzukgrouiul design sand blastedtlerein, but said background design having its outlines irregularlymodified and substantially l'olloiving the crysitalline grain of thegranite, the surfaces of said background design being also irregularlymodi fied and substantially following the crystalline grain of thegranite. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ELROY A. CHASE.

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